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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28347444">Pumpkin Spice and Cheese</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/spookyspicedchai/pseuds/spookyspicedchai'>spookyspicedchai</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Pumpkin Spice coffeeshop au [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops &amp; Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cats, Chance Meetings, Domestic, Holidays, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 20:27:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,357</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28347444</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/spookyspicedchai/pseuds/spookyspicedchai</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Levi runs a coffee shop. One day, a strange cat appears.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Levi and Cat, Levi/Erwin Smith</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Pumpkin Spice coffeeshop au [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2162931</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>95</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Pumpkin Spice and Cheese</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/crabwalker/gifts">crabwalker</a>, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pearlhart/gifts">Pearlhart</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hehe surprise xD</p><p>Tis the season for cute coffee shop aus! ଘ(੭ ^ヮ╹)੭* ̀:･ﾟ✧ </p><p>crabwalker, our conversation about pumpkin spice lattes and festive, overpriced seasonal drinks managed to tease this tiny holiday drabble from the depleted recesses of my brain.</p><p>I also wanted to spread holiday cheer and thank those amazing individuals who have given me so much this year. Thanks a million for our threads of conversation and making this platform a worthwhile place to connect and express myself through cute holiday drabbles, uWu worthy headcanons, creative commiseration, and immersive worlds and gorgeous characters from your screen to mine. You are all amazing!</p><p>Merry Christmas (to those who are celebrating) and, I hope everyone is able to ring in the New Year with happy hearts! Stay safe and healthy!</p><p>Edit: asdklfjkj found the cutest fanart to go with the story! If you know the original artist, please lmk in the comments! cr. owner</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The cat appears one morning while Levi is opening up the coffee shop.</p><p>It spooks the small man half to death, and then has the audacity to sit there on the patio staring at Levi with round, unassuming eyes. The furry apparition's glowing yellow gaze is trained on Levi, and the confused store owner wonders if the tiny creature is an adventurous house cat out for a roam.</p><p>It’s a curious cat with thick curving bands swirling around its torso in a marbled pattern, splashes of orange fur contrasting against silky black and milky white. It wears an odd pair of mismatched socks on its tiny paws and tufts of white fur sprout from its over-sized ears.</p><p>He searches for a collar, but doesn’t find one.</p><p>The two stare at one another: Levi mid-sweep, still awkwardly holding his trusty broom, while the strange tabby gives him a couple of languid blinks. It’s a ridiculous stalemate, and Levi is thoroughly embarrassed by the sudden confrontation. He decides the sweeping is done for today - ignoring the troublesome smattering of leaves by the entrance - and resumes his morning routine within the confines of the coffee shop.</p><p>The animal uses the opportunity to come closer, approaching the carved pumpkins placed underneath the expansive, front-facing windows. It circles around the seasonal squash, sniffing here and examining there, before folding its body into an amazing ball of fur. Levi watches all of this from the counter, charmed by the cat’s funny imitation and ability to turn itself into a tiny furry pumpkin.</p><p>Customers come and go, and the cat remains in the window. Many don't even realize there's an imposter among the colorful gourds until a tiny face suddenly appears pressing Neapolitan paws against the shiny glass in a failed attempt to try some strawberry shortcake.</p><p>After a while, Levi is able to ignore the unexpected visitor, busy making drinks and measuring out parcels of signature tea for their online orders. It isn't until closing that Levi remembers.</p><p>The cat stares at him expectantly as he pockets his keys and pulls on his favorite pair of gloves.</p><p>"Well, we're closed for today," Levi informs the persistent patron. "Come back tomorrow. We start serving our annual pumpkin spice lattes."</p><p>The cat follows Levi for a while before turning down a gated, narrow walkway in between two houses. It enters the private property with graceful confidence and disappears down the winding path, not sparing Levi a backwards glance.</p><p>The cat returns in the morning. It's waiting for Levi by the door and meows in welcome when it recognizes the small man who always smells clean and comforting.</p><p>"Good morning," Levi says, unlocking the door as the cat rubs its head against his shoes, vibrating with happy purrs. "Do you… want to come in?"</p><p>Levi waits by the open door as the tiny guest considers the invitation. The cat hedges by the entrance, unsure if it wants to venture into unknown territory - warm and inviting territory that smells deliciously cozy. So, Levi props the door open and starts his everyday routine of turning on the machines, prepping the counter, and waiting for the early birds to come in.</p><p>Around noon, the cat meanders into the shop - nose to the floor - diligently sniffing around tables and shelves before finding a comfortable place beneath the bay window usually reserved for waiting customers to scroll on their phones or take a cute selfie before grabbing their drink orders to go. The upholstered window seat now accommodates the mysterious cat who seems more than comfortable in its new surroundings. The tinkling of silverware and constant hum of the coffee machine doesn't seem to bother the small cat as it sunbathes and grooms the day away. Several passersby exclaim in muffled surprise and crouch down in front of the glass to admire the slumbering tabby as it luxuriates in the golden afternoon sunshine.</p><p>That night, after saying goodbye to his miniature shadow, Levi logs onto his laptop and immediately starts searching for cat supplies. He ends up purchasing over a hundred dollars worth of supplies and splurging on an egg tart cat bed that Levi will place in the window.</p><p>It's adorable, and Levi can't wait.</p><p>Levi isn't surprised to find the cat waiting for him again. He cheerfully opens the door and enters the cafe. The cat follows after him, erupting into rumbling purrs and rolling over onto its back for a good belly rub. The barista pauses in his morning chores in favor of sinking his fingers into warm and fluffy fur. The cat preens under the attention, rubbing its face into Levi’s hand and purring so aggressively it makes Levi laugh into the empty room.</p><p>It's healing for the both of them.</p><p>“What’s your name?" Levi asks, one afternoon. "You’re here nearly every day now. We aren’t exactly strangers anymore, so you should have a name.”</p><p>The cat answers by climbing into Levi's lap and bumping its tiny head into the small man's chin.</p><p>“Thank you, but that's not really an answer," Levi says, scratching the cat's velvety nose.</p><p>"What should I call you? Pumpkin Spice? Ginger? What about Coffee?"</p><p>The weather starts to grow colder, so Levi installs a cat door for Pumpkin Spice and worries over his mysterious whereabouts at night.</p><p>He can't tell if it's the seasonal drink bringing in more customers or if it's the new addition to the cafe, but the coffee shop is busier than ever. Work passes by in a whirlwind of steamed milk and caramel drizzle. More than once, the pumpkin spice lattes sell out before the evening crowd arrives, and Levi uses the potentially disastrous opportunity to offer samples of his new collection of holiday themed teas. He crafted every flavor from scratch, and the delighted expressions make him warm and fuzzy.</p><p>When everyone leaves, Levi doesn’t hesitate in scooping up his pocket-sized companion and squishing the cat to his body. He showers its furry forehead in smooches for good measure, too.</p><p>Pumpkin Spice comes to the coffee shop every day. It's become routine, and Levi thrives in the newfound company. Instead of having his morning cup of tea at home, he rushes to the cafe and meets his lucky charm by the door, filling the elevated food bowl before turning on the computer and checking his emails. The cat ignores breakfast and follows Levi to his desk. The marble tabby rolls out in front of the monitor - almost knocking over Levi’s cup of mango peach rooibos - half of its stomach is on the keyboard making the screen glitch in a flurry of overriding commands.</p><p>Levi is completely enamored.</p><p>It turns into a rainy day. Levi watches the falling rain, stroking Pumpkin Spice in long motions from head to tail, listening to the cars pass by on slick cobbled stone. It’s so peaceful. The world appears frozen in a misty silvery landscape.</p><p>Levi stays out there until an umbrella-carrying customer hurries into the inviting establishment, stomping their boots on the welcome mat and tucking their dripping umbrella into the available stand. Levi offers them an iced gingerbread cookie, on the house, to go with their chai latte. It’s a new item he’s testing before the Christmas holidays. They wish him a Happy Thanksgiving before closing the door with a cheerful jingle of bells.</p><p>November turns into December. There's frost on the ground and glittering in the grass on Levi's walk to work. Pumpkin Spice cuddles into Levi’s arms more often, burrowing into his apron whenever there’s a chance, preferring Levi's own warmth to the heating pad by the window.</p><p>When he closes for the night, Levi pulls out the boxes labeled “Christmas” from the back room and begins unpacking. He uses a tall ladder to string snowflakes from the ceiling and drapes boughs of holly garland and twinkling lights in Pumpkin Spice’s favorite window. He smooths the festive plaid runner along the counter and fixes a voluminous bow onto the register.</p><p>When the small space is nearly done, Levi and Pumpkin Spice celebrate with a rosy cup of "Sleigh Ride" for Levi - a fruity and nutty blend of cinnamon, almonds, beetroot, and popped rice - and a tuna CIAO churu for Pumpkin Spice.</p><p>Finally, he hangs an understated wreath on the door before heading home, wishing his tiny companion good night at the same sliver of walkway in between glowing residences.</p><p>Christmas is around the corner.</p><p>It's an unusually mild winter's day when Pumpkin Spice disappears. The melodic chirps and trills Levi’s unknowingly grown accustomed to hearing each morning don’t reach his ears as he approaches the cafe. He hurriedly unlocks the door - a sense of foreboding pinching his thin eyebrows - and enters the shop, hoping to discover a curled up cat in one of the many stylish houses or wall mounted furniture he's acquired since meeting the peculiar tabby, but Levi doesn't come across the bundle of fur he's come to love.</p><p>When he's searched every cushion, corner, and cubby, Levi starts opening cupboards and ducking underneath the counter. The morning chores are forgotten as Levi crawls around on the floor, scuffing his polished black shoes and creasing his trousers. From underneath a chair, Levi notices the clock.</p><p>The small man opens the cafe on schedule and serves drinks in a distracted haze. Every couple of minutes has the store owner craning his neck and checking the entrance. The ringing of bells whenever a new customer walks in makes him jump in anticipation. On one occasion, Levi swears he hears the trilling meow of Pumpkin Spice and burns his hand with scalding milk. The frazzled barista internally chides himself for overreacting and acting so unprofessionally. Pumpkin Spice knows the area like the fur on the back of his mismatched paws. He's a clever cat. He's fine.</p><p>Still. Levi worries, gnawing on the supple flesh lining the inside of his mouth until he tastes copper. When the clock strikes one, Levi unites his apron, pulls on his coat, and dashes out the door. The man barely manages to flip the sign and lock up before scouring the nearby roads and park for the missing tabby.</p><p>It doesn't take long.</p><p>Levi finds the little goblin perched on the window sill of a handsome townhouse. It's a couple of doors down from where they always say their goodbyes.</p><p>"Pumpkin Spice! What are you doing over there?"</p><p>The cat immediately unfurls itself from the fluffy loaf it was nestled in to greet the relieved man by the edge of the posh property. The marble tabby makes a show of circling Levi's ankles and rolling all around. It’s a deranged display of affection, and Levi crouches down to scold the tiny troublemaker.</p><p>"Oh, don't try to act cute now," Levi warns, as he buries chilly hands into the plush warmth of thick fur and cups Pumpkin Spice by the face to smooth his thumbs over almond shaped eyes. "Not after all the trouble you've caused me!"</p><p>"It's supposed to snow this week, and you're out gallivanting into the night and snoozing in stranger's windows?" Levi reprimands, but his voice is already softening and warming around the edges.</p><p>Levi doesn’t notice the man approaching him.</p><p>"Hello there,” a smooth baritone interrupts the man and cat currently arguing on the sidewalk. Levi is trying to bribe Pumpkin Spice to come home while the supine tabby is happy as a pancake to flip flop on the cold concrete until he’s golden brown.</p><p>The man towers over Levi from where he’s standing a few paces away. Levi straightens like a pin, surprised and more than a little horrified by the man’s sudden appearance. Aside from his staggering height, Levi notices he has dark blue eyes that crease warmly around the corners as he gazes down at Levi.</p><p>“I’m sorry, but were you just talking to the cat?”</p><p>“Yeah, he’s mine. I was looking for him because he didn’t come home this morning,” Levi explains, cursing both the universe and Pumpkin Spice for landing him in such a humiliating situation.</p><p>“Is that so? And what’s his name?” the stranger questions, his demeanor cordial and unhurried.</p><p>“It’s... Pumpkin Spice,” Levi answers. “I, uh, own a coffee shop down by the cottages on Rose.”</p><p>“Hm, that’s so interesting,” the man says, bending down in his expensive loafers to address the cat winding around their legs in slinky figure-eights. The man gathers up Pumpkin Spice in his arms. “My cat is named Cheese, and unless there’s another explanation, it seems I’ve found his identical twin.”</p><p>Levi stares past the teasing stranger to the open doorway that tunnels into a stately, well-furnished drawing room. He had missed it in his haste to hurry home, but there, at the base of the candy apple red door is a cat door.</p><p>"I'm sorry if he was a nuisance,” the man apologizes with a good-natured chuckle. “I’m Erwin Smith, and I take it you’re already acquainted with my cat, Cheese.”</p><p>"Why is he named Cheese?" Levi asks, stunned by the unexpected turn of events.</p><p>"Oh, that's because it's his favorite food! He loves those individually packaged slices of processed cheese."</p><p>“You have those? I would've figured you to have a fridge full of Camembert and Roquefort.”</p><p>“I could have those for you, if you want,” Erwin answers, a glimmer of mischief catching in his shiny blue eyes like a melting snowflake.</p><p>"Why would you buy me fancy cheese?” Levi asks, still dumbfounded by the betrayal and deceit played upon him by the snaking tabby now attached to his side like a guard dog, ears sharp and all four paws on the ground.</p><p>"Well, because I was hoping you'd allow me to cook you dinner as an apology for Cheese causing you so much trouble."</p><p>"I don't usually go over to strange men's houses to have dinner."</p><p>“Of course, what about coffee or tea?” the giant bastard amends like a true gentleman.</p><p>--</p><p>Levi does eventually have dinner with Erwin, and they ring in the New Year over a plate of fancy cheeses while the original Cheese who snowballed their romance into action curls up by the window.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Suave Erwin, I’ve found you!!! I hated that he kept coming across as a bumbling (lovable) buffoon in my domestic drabbles, so I’m ecstatic that I’ve managed to honor the headcanons I’ve read and loved of a smooth, dependable, and incredibly attractive Erwin Smith. He’s a diabolical Commander, certified cinnamon roll, and majestic lover all in one =&gt;</p><p>Comments are greatly appreciated and would really help me end the year on a brighter note!</p><p>I forgot to mention: idk about gifting etiquette, so if you don't feel comfortable having your name attached to this, pls lmk and I will remove it right away!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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